For the first time in history, the UAE will have a representative on the Miss Universe stage. Model and mother-of-three Emilia Dobreva, who was crowned Miss Universe UAE in October after a private closed-door audition, will represent the country at the global event.
“She was the perfect choice for Miss Universe UAE,” said Poppy Capella, who was appointed the national director for the UAE by the Miss Universe Organisation in September. “She has been living in the UAE for over a decade, is married to an Emirati man, speaks Arabic, and is a beautiful and smart woman.” The grand finale of Miss Universe, which will be held on November 16 in Mexico City, will see Emilia sashay down the runway along with competitors from 130 countries.
According to Poppy, in the national costume round, Emilia will wear an abaya that will be a stunning homage to the UAE. “The bottom of her abaya will have real sand taken from the country, and the top part will reflect the modernity that this country has achieved,” she said. “The gown will truly embody the UAE, showing how it has built up a modern country from the sand.”
Historically, only unmarried models between the ages of 18 and 28 were allowed to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant. However, in 2023, all restrictions related to age, height, weight, and marital status were removed in a bid to move away from a beauty pageant format towards a platform to empower women. Apart from the UAE, nine other countries will mark their debut at the event, including the competition’s first hijabi contestant – Miss Somalia.
Poppy, who has previously helmed Miss Universe Indonesia and Miss Universe Malaysia, said that she was contacted by the parent company in August asking her to steer the first-ever representation of UAE at the world stage. “I have been living in the UAE for two years, and during this time, I have come to appreciate how the country is one of the safest countries in the world, especially for women,” she said. “The country is also deeply committed to empowering women, which is one of the reasons I’ve fallen in love with it. I truly feel at home here.”
With her experience, Poppy was confident about pulling off such a high-profile event at short notice. “The Miss Universe Organisation believed in us because of our past experiences and they recognise our capabilities and value,” she said. “However, because the call came so late, it was impossible for us to conduct an open audition, and we had to handle it privately. We approached this with the utmost respect and care.”
She said it was of utmost importance for her to respect the culture of the UAE. “That is why we did not have a swimwear round when we conducted the competition here,” she said. “Moreover, Emilia will wear a fully covered swimsuit, also known as the burqini, in the swimwear round at the international competition. Her clothes are also modest, in line with the local culture.”
Poppy said they had over 1,000 entries for the title, including both Emiratis and expats. The team then worked diligently to shortlist 16 out of them. “We knew right from the outset that we wanted the competition to be open for both Emiratis and expats,” she said. “Expatriate workers have contributed significantly to building the country and we wanted to include them in this first-ever chance to represent UAE at a global women empowerment stage like Miss Universe.”
One of the Emirati contestants – Fatima Bahman Nowroozi – was chosen the golden winner in the voice of change category. According to Poppy, all the 16 finalists were given a bootcamp experience, with each of them being trained in public speaking and catwalk. “Once Emilia was chosen, she underwent daily rigorous training to ensure that she was ready to represent the UAE on a global stage,” she said. “She has received a lot of attention on social media and I am really hoping that she can make it at least to the top five.”
One of the biggest highlights of the Miss Universe UAE was the Palm of Inclusion crown, worth over Dh15 million, designed exclusively for the event by renowned luxury jewellers Mouwad. Poppy added that her organisation has also worked with clothing brand Belionel and charity organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to design T-shirts, the full amount of its sales will be donated to MSF UAE. She said she also plans to make the next year’s edition even bigger and better.
The Miss Universe UAE franchise has partnered with BrightFlixx Entertainment, a local streaming platform for classical niche and modern content, to produce a reality show that will showcase the beauty of UAE. “Each episode will have Miss Universe contestants introduce viewers to various hidden gems of the UAE,” said Anham Shaheen from BrightFlixx Entertainment. “The episodes will also showcase the country’s tradition and culture. It is a bid to show the world the real beauty of the UAE.”
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